Bloc’s Duceppe ups sovereignty bid, citing lack of constitutional offer
Published February 24 , 2010
By Martin C. Barry • TLN

article goes hereTwo decades after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord, a constitutional offer from the federal government satisfactory to Quebec is never going to happen, according to Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe. During a stopover in Laval on Monday that was part of a tour the Bloc leader is making all over the province in preparation for the opening of Parliament in early March, Duceppe claimed that Quebec’s political clout continues to shrink, while the rest of Canada is pursuing interests of its own that too often go against those of Quebec.

Lack of will
“Twenty years after Meech, Quebec has worse service than ever in economic and environmental terms, just as it’s the case on language issues, culture and citizenship,” he told journalists during a press conference held at a restaurant on des Laurentides Boulevard. “It is clear that in Canada there isn’t any political will for answering to the aspirations of Quebec. All the same, we are going to continue to do our (the Bloc’s) work and try to go as far as possible to enlarge Quebec’s margin for manoeuvering within Canada.
“We are going to do it in good faith, as always, by trying to achieve substantial gains,” added Duceppe. “At the same time, in 2010 the Bloc will continue to be one of the spearheads of the sovereignty movement. We are going to continue to imagine Quebec as sovereign and to bring our project constantly up to date. We are even going to intensify our efforts. When Quebecers realize that the hope of reforming federalism is an illusion and that the only future avenue for Quebec is political independence, then we will be ready to implement a sovereignty project that is clear and inspiring.”

‘Hypocrites,’ says Duceppe
In spite of Parliament’s recognition of French Canada through the Quebec Nation resolution four years ago, Duceppe maintains that the Conservatives and Liberals have only acted with “hypocrisy” in regard to Quebec since then. As the most glaring example, he notes that Bill 101, the language law granting French supremacy in Quebec, isn’t even applied at the level of federal institutions. “Newcomers to Quebec are told that Canada is a bilingual country and mostly anglophone,” he said. “They are told that the citizenship policy is based on the Canadian ideology of multiculturalism.” Under the circumstances, Duceppe said he marvels that Quebec has been able to integrate half its immigrants into the Francophone majority of Quebec.
Adding to its case against federalism and for the sovereignty of Quebec, the Bloc contends that in recent federal budgets the economic interests of Quebec have been ignored and that the Conservative government’s economic recovery package last year downplayed industries crucial in the province, such as forestry, aeronautics and manufacturing, while concentrating on the auto sector in Ontario and the oil industry in western Canada. As another example, Duceppe noted that Ottawa “is getting ready to pour billions of dollars into Ontario and British Columbia to harmonize sales taxes,” while refusing to pay $2.2 billion he says the government owes Quebec for the same reason.

Lost in translation
Duceppe reacted to reports that the availability of French-language services at the Vancouver Winter Olympics has been very poor. “I’ve always maintained that there are really two official languages — English and simultaneous translation,” he said. “There was very poor translation. Radio Canada commentators said that Bloody Mary had been translated as a Marie Saignante. I would imagine that if anyone were to ask for one of those in a bar in Quebec, the bartender would call the police to report that there’s someone strange and dangerous at the bar. It gives you an idea of the situation. That is the sad truth about the state of French outside Quebec.”